Foundations of Psychopathology and Developmental Pathogenesis

Comprehensive flashcards covering key terms and concepts across Unit 1 (History of Psychopathology), Unit 2 (DSM-IV Classification), Unit 3 (Developmental Pathogenesis), and Unit 4 (Childhood Mental Disorders).

Demonology

An ancient belief attributing mental disorders to individuals being possessed and controlled by magical, evil spirits and demons.

Mass Hysteria

A phenomenon in which the experience of an emotion spreads to people in the surrounding environment, potentially escalating into community-wide panic.

Four Humors

The four bodily fluids identified by Hippocrates—blood, phlegm, black bile, and yellow bile—whose balance determined physical and mental health.

Bloodletting

An early biological treatment technique in which a measured amount of blood was removed by leeches to minimize aggressive tendencies.

J.P. Grey

A nineteenth-century theorist who held that insanity was always due to physical causes, emphasizing rest, diet, ventilation, and inventing the rotary fan for hospital use.

Emil Kraepelin

A psychiatrist who classified psychological disorders based on cause, course, and symptom clusters, and described schizophrenia as a psychotic disorder with 11 subtypes.

Insulin Shock Therapy

A twentieth-century treatment pioneered by Manfred Sakel using high doses of insulin to induce convulsions and coma in patients.

Electroconvulsive Therapy (ECT)

A biological treatment involving induced brain seizures, noted to be effective with suicidal patients despite historical controversy over its overuse.

Moral Therapy

A movement in the early psychological approach that advocated humane, respectful care for institutionalized patients and reinforced social interaction.

The Id

The unorganized, primitive part of personality operating on the pleasure principle, serving as a reservoir of sexual and aggressive drives.

The Ego

The executive component of personality operating on the reality principle, using logic and reason to mediate conflicts between the Id and the Super ego.

The Super Ego

The moral and ethical component of personality operating on the moral principle, serving as the conscience and generating guilt when standards are violated.

Libido

The psychic energy contained within the Id associated with sexual instincts.

Primary Process

The cognitive style of the Id, characterized by irrational, emotional, illogical, and selfish thinking patterns.

Secondary Process

The cognitive operations of the Ego characterized by logic, reason, and realistic problem-solving.

Reality Anxiety

Anxiety based on fears of real and objective external dangers, such as falling from a ladder or being bitten by a dog.

Neurotic Anxiety

Anxiety stemming from an unconscious fear that the primitive impulses of the Id will overpower the Ego and lead to punishment.

Moral Anxiety

Anxiety arising from a fear of violating moral codes and values, manifesting as feelings of guilt or shame.

Defense Mechanisms

Unconscious protective processes employed by the Ego to distort reality and keep primitive emotions and conflicts in check, thereby reducing anxiety.

Transference

The process in psychoanalytic therapy where a patient projects attitudes and emotions originally felt toward parents onto the analyst.

Dream-Work

The process of producing dreams during sleep by translating unconscious demands into symbolic representations.

Self-Concept

The organized, consistent set of perceptions and beliefs about oneself, encompassing the ideas and values that characterize 'I' and 'me'.

Organismic Self

The total experiencing individual in Carl Rogers' theory, encompassing all feelings and experiences whether accepted or denied.

Incongruence

A state that occurs when there is a discrepancy between the self-concept and actual organismic experience, or between the self-image and the ideal-self.

Unconditional Positive Regard

A key therapeutic condition in person-centered therapy where an individual is completely accepted and supported regardless of their actions, thoughts, or feelings.

Conditioned Response (CR)

An acquired response elicited by a previously neutral stimulus after it has been repeatedly paired with an unconditioned stimulus.

Unconditioned Stimulus (US)

A stimulus that naturally and automatically triggers an unlearned, reflex response.

Conditioned Stimulus (CS)

A previously neutral stimulus that comes to trigger a conditioned response after association with an unconditioned stimulus.

Operant Responses

Complex voluntary behaviors that operate on the environment to produce consequences or effects.

Positive Reinforcers

Environmental stimuli or rewards that increase the frequency of the preceding behavior when introduced.

Negative Reinforcers

Aversive stimuli that increase the frequency of the preceding behavior when they are removed.

Social-Cognitive Theory

A learning theory emphasizing observational learning (modeling) and the role of cognitive variables such as expectancies in guiding behavior.

Behaviour Modification

The systematic application of learning principles and techniques to change maladaptive behaviors.

Pervasive Developmental Disorders (PDDs)

A group of early childhood conditions characterized by delays in developing basic social, communication, and imaginative skills.

Autistic Disorder

A pervasive developmental disorder marked by significant impairment in social interaction, communication deficits, and repetitive patterns of behavior.

Echolalia

The pathological and mechanical repetition of words or phrases spoken by others, commonly observed in autistic disorder.

Rett's Disorder

An X-linked dominant neurological disorder affecting females, marked by normal initial development followed by regression, loss of purposeful hand use, stereotypic hand wringing, and microcephaly.

Asperger Syndrome

An autism spectrum disorder characterized by impaired social interaction and restricted interests, occurring alongside normal to above-average intelligence and intact formal language.

Childhood Disintegrative Disorder (CDD)

A rare pervasive developmental disorder where a child develops normally until ages 2 to 4, followed by a dramatic loss of previously acquired social, language, and motor skills.

Pervasive Developmental Disorder Not Otherwise Specified (PDD-NOS)

A diagnostic category used for individuals who exhibit severe impairments in social interaction and communication but do not meet the complete criteria for a specific disorder like Autism or Rett's.

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)

A common childhood disorder characterized by persistent patterns of inattention, hyperactivity, and impulsivity lasting at least 6 months to a degree maladaptive for developmental level.

Oppositional Defiant Disorder (ODD)

A childhood disorder involving a recurrent, persistent pattern of negativistic, defiant, disobedient, and hostile behavior toward authority figures.

Conduct Disorder

A group of behavioral and emotional problems in children involving persistent violation of social rules, societal norms, and the rights of others.

Separation Anxiety Disorder

An anxiety disorder involving excessive, developmentally inappropriate anxiety regarding separation from primary attachment figures, lasting at least 4 weeks in children under 18.

Tic

An involuntary, rapid, sudden, recurrent, non-rhythmic motor movement or vocalization.

Tourette's Disorder

A chronic tic disorder characterized by the presence of both multiple motor tics and one or more vocal tics lasting for one year or more.

Mental Retardation

A developmental disability originating before age 18, defined by an IQ score below 70–75 and significant limitations in two or more adaptive skill areas.

Mild Mental Retardation

A severity category of mental retardation covering an IQ range of 50–75, where individuals can typically achieve up to a 6th-grade academic level and reach self-sufficiency.

Moderate Mental Retardation

A category of mental retardation covering an IQ range of 35–55, where individuals can carry out self-care and work under moderate supervision.

Severe Mental Retardation

A category of mental retardation covering an IQ range of 20–40, where individuals may master basic self-care and communication skills, often residing in group homes.

Profound Mental Retardation

A category of mental retardation covering an IQ score under 20–25, requiring continuous, pervasive lifelong supervision and structured support.

Categorical Approach

A classification strategy assuming that distinctions between diagnostic categories are qualitative, meaning differences reflect a difference in kind rather than degree.

Dimensional Approach

A classification strategy that quantifies a patient's symptoms, moods, and behaviors on continuous numerical scales.

Prototypical Approach

A classification method that defines essential characteristics of a disorder while permitting non-essential variation across individual cases.

ICD-10

The 10th revision of the International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems published by WHO in 1992, containing Chapter V (F) dedicated to mental disorders.

Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM)

The standard classification manual for mental disorders published by the American Psychiatric Association.

Axis I

The axis in DSM-IV (TR) used for coding Clinical Disorders and other conditions that may be a focus of clinical attention.

Axis II

The axis in DSM-IV (TR) reserved for coding Personality Disorders and Mental Retardation.

Axis III

The axis in DSM-IV (TR) designated for reporting General Medical Conditions relevant to understanding or managing the mental disorder.

Axis IV

The axis in DSM-IV (TR) used for reporting Psychosocial and Environmental Problems affecting diagnosis, treatment, or prognosis.

Axis V (GAF Scale)

The axis in DSM-IV (TR) where a clinician rates an individual's overall psychological, social, and occupational functioning on a scale from 1 to 100.

Risk Factor Model

A paradigm for understanding developmental deviations by evaluating vulnerability factors across individual, familial, and community levels.

Genotype

The specific physical sequence of DNA and total unobservable genetic constitution inherited by an individual.

Phenotype

The observable physical characteristics, traits, and behaviors resulting from the interaction between genotype and environment.

Diathesis

A inherited or acquired predisposition or vulnerability toward developing a specific psychological disorder.

HPA Axis

The Hypothalamic-Pituitary-Adrenal Axis, a major neuro-endocrine system involved in managing bodily responses to stress through cortisol release.

Authoritative Parenting

A parenting style characterized by high warmth and clear, consistent limits, promoting optimal social competency and autonomy in children.

Authoritarian Parenting

A parenting style high in control and strict discipline but low in warmth, often resulting in anxious, conflicted, or aggressive child behaviors.

Permissive-Indulgent Parenting

A parenting style high in emotional warmth but low in discipline and behavioral limits, associated with impulsive and aggressive behavior in children.

Neglectful-Uninvolved Parenting

A parenting style low in both warmth and control, linked to attachment disruption, low self-esteem, and conduct problems.

Psychic Trauma

Any highly aversive experience that causes lasting psychological harm and leaves vulnerabilities susceptible to reactivation by subsequent stress.